Described herein is a method for alternately controlling two control modules of a motor vehicle. The control modules may be, for example, part of an infotainment system or a central processor device and may each be designed to control air-conditioning or media playback or navigation assistance. In addition, described herein are an operating device for carrying out the method and a motor vehicle having the operating device.
In the case of a motor vehicle, a plurality of functionalities may be provided by an individual control device or a central processor device. In connection with infotainment, such a central processor device is referred to as the infotainment system. This system provides, as functionalities, navigation assistance, media playback and telephony, for example. Each of these functionalities is provided by control modules provided for this purpose. In this case, each control module can be operated using the same operating device, for example a rotary/push actuator. Such a rotary/push actuator has an operating knob which can be rotated about a rotational axis and can be translationally deflected along the rotational axis by pushing. Provision may also be made for the rotary knob to be additionally able to be deflected transversely with respect to the rotational axis, which is also referred to as a four-way function.
An operating menu which lists the functions which can be selected using the operating knob, for example by rotating the latter, to be precise for that control module to which the operating device is currently coupled in each case, can be displayed on a screen of the infotainment system.
It must then also be possible to switch between the control modules using the operating device in order to be able to operate another of the control modules.
For this purpose, EP 1 122 633 A2 provides for an edge region to be displayed on the screen around the operating menu, the names of the available control modules being displayed at particular positions in the edge region. It is then possible to switch to the respective control module by tilting the operating knob in a corresponding deflection direction, as a result of which the associated operating menu is then displayed on the screen.
DE 10 2009 052 928 A1 likewise describes a rotary/push actuator which can be used to operate an operating menu of an infotainment system. In order to switch between control modules, further mechanical operating knobs for selecting a control module are provided in addition to the rotary/push actuator.
DE 296 04 717 U1 describes an operating device for a motor vehicle, in which it is possible to switch between the control modules by using a special operating menu using a rotary/push actuator having a four-way function.
A problem may arise in the related art if two control modules are active at the same time, for example if a media playback module plays music and a navigation assistance module indicates a route. If the user operates the navigation assistance module, for example, in order to stipulate a navigation destination and in the meantime wishes to change, for example, the song currently being played by the media playback module, he must first of all leave the operating menu for navigation assistance, activate the operating menu for media playback, select the new song there and then change back to navigation assistance again. The driver must then re-orient himself again in the operating menu for navigation assistance and must perhaps even reconstruct settings which have been lost.